Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-07-02

bers.
! There is an effort on foot to illu-
inmate the streets of Fairmont with
the electric light.
| Governor Wilson is to deliver an
Grafton in Tammany Hall, New
York, July the 4th.
The citizens of Wheeling are try
Ting to secure the presence of Presi-
dent Cleveland at the State Fair
this fall.
A competitive examination for APP
plicants for appointment TO the Ma
val Academy was held at Point
Hleasant on June 25th.
Prof w. Fl. Woolery has been
elected President of Bethany College.
He is a graduate of the class of rs
at Bethany, is 81 years old, was
born in Kentucky and has been a
Professor at Bethany for the past
| five years. He declined the offer of
the President of Hiram College to
accept the Presidency of old Beth
any.
The Secretary of State of West
Virginia on the l4th inst, issued a
certificate of incorporation to the
"Big Sandy, Tug River and Twelve
Pole Qailroad Company" for the
purpose of constructing and opera
ting railroad from Cereco, Wayne
county, w. Va, to the Kentucky
line. together with various branch
roads, with capital stock of $780,
600. The stock is held by parties
in Ashland, KY, and Wayne coun-
ty, this State.
Mr.. j. A. Sharpless, OF Keyser, a
graduate of the Normal school, re-
Gently sent to Prof. G. A. Sipe, the
Principal, a section Of the so called
petrified snake found in the mines at
Shaw eral.county, about which so
much has been said. The section is
about three feet in length and from
three TO four inches in diameter. 1t
is not petrifaction of animal life,
however, but a fossil plant of the
carboniferous age, palaozoic time
class, phenegam order, gymnos-
perm; genus, stigmariae. They are
| quite a common fossil, being found
! in the under clays of the coal meas
ures. They grew as stout stems,
from two to five or more inches
thick and from IL to 80 feet high,
having over the surface distinct
rounded punctures or depressions.
The specimen is fine one and is
highly priced among the curiosties
being collected for the school.
The Clarksburg Neos of last week
says: Some few months since a
young man named w. p. Prickett,
painter by trade, and hailing from
Marietta, Ohio, but originally we
learn from either Marion or Monon-
gala counties, came to Clarksburg,
and being a member of the Baptist
church soon got job of painting
from Bro. j. M. Mines. Mr.. Mines
paid him upon completion Of the
work, and Prickett skipped by the
light of the moon, forgetting to pay,
Gus Spates for the paint, and actually
beat his boarding house out of eight
dollars board. He is good sized,
smooth-faced fellow and wears glass
es. AS he is avery attentive church
member the probability is he will
try the same game on some of his
Baptist brothers in other pastures.
Mr.. Prickett hailed from Marion
county, and was attending the uni
versity there year or two ago.
A dispatch from Anderson, w.
Va, says awhile railroad laborers
were excavating rock about four
mile east of this place the explosion
Of charge of powder revealed an
opening into cavern Of unknown
extent. During the afternoon it
was explored for upward of mile,
and wonders rivaling in extent and
grandeur those Of the celebrated Luz
ray caverns we're found. Half a
mile under ground stream Of water
was discovered, which, for purity
and sweetness is unequalled, by any
mountain springs Stalactites of
every conceivable shape and size
were found scattered through the
various chambers, and the explorers
loosened some beautiful specimens
and carried them to room near the
entrance. The galleries and apart
ments all have smooth stone, and
the former range from seven 10 nj
teen feet wide by as many high,
while many chambers are thirty to
fifty feet in width by seventy-fve or